French
shipping giant CMA CGM has taken delivery of its new flagship, the 20,600 TEU
capacity CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery.

The
400-meter long by 59-meter wide vessel with a capacity to carry 20,600
twenty-foot equivalent containers, is now biggest containership flying the
French flag and will
likely remain so until next year, when the line's next generation of 22,000 TEU
containerships begin delivery.

CMA CGM
Antoine De Saint Exupery will enter into service on 6 February 2018 on the FAL
1 service (French Asia Line 1), connecting Asia to Northern Europe. The service
offers a weekly service to 16 ports of call for a duration of 84 days..

She is the
first of three similar ships being built for the Group by Hanjin Heavy
Industries & Construction at their yard in Subic, Phillipinnes. ďThis newly built 20,600 TEU
vessel proves, among others, the strength and capability of our Subic shipyard
to manufacture . . . mega-ships of much higher quality tonnage," said
HHIC-Phil president Gwang Suk Chung, speaking to the Manila Bulletin. Chung
credited the skill of the yard's local workforce for its success.

As of 2017,
CMA CGM had over 26 giant containerships with capacities topping 12,700 TEU
capacity, including the Groupís former flagship CMA CGM Bougainville, one of
six ~18,000 TEU ships in the fleet.

The new flagship pays
tribute to writer and poet Antoine De Saint Exupery, whose work is known across
the globe.
He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit
Prince) and for his lyrical aviation writings, including Wind, Sand and Stars and Night Flight.

In addition
to her size, the CMA CGM Antoine De Saint Exupery is built with a number of
technological advancements to improve environmental friendliness, including a
Becker Twisted Fin allowing to improve the propellerís performance, helping to
significantly reduce the energy expenditure for a 4% reduction in CO2
emissions; a new-generation engine that reduces oil consumption by as much as
25%, as well as overall fuel consumption for a 3% average reduction of CO2
emissions; a system for the treatment of ballast water by filters and UV lamp.